It’s 3 a.m. All is quiet in the Bauer home, until…

Meow.

Softly at first, but then it gets louder. A mass of gray with white feet and a white stomach walks into the bedroom.

Meow.

He’s hungry. Bonnie Bauer groans. She knows he won’t stop until he’s fed, so she gets up to get him some food.

This is almost a daily occurrence, which is a contributing factor to his condition. Gregory the cat has been pronounced by a veterinarian “grossly obese.” He weighs 20 pounds, twice what he is supposed to weigh.

“We’ve tried diets and special food, but he either eats too much of it or it just doesn’t work on him,” senior Katie Bauer said. “It is funny to watch him walk around, though.”

George waddles along after Bonnie to his food, a confident strut in his step. It is the same strut he carries most of the day when following Katie, his closest companion, around the house.

“I spend way too much time with my cat,” Katie said.

Some of her friends say she’s obsessed with her cat and cats in general. While on a trip to Costa Rica, Katie took in a stray kitten and cared for it for a night. Despite these actions, Katie maintains that she isn’t obsessed. Other friends, however, admire that quality in her.

“It’s a healthy obsession, not an unhealthy one,” senior Andy Bartell said. “She just really loves cats.”

Gregory, now fed and complacent, returns to his sleeping spot underneath Katie’s bed. Despite Katie’s love of all animals, her own cat will always hold a special place in her heart as well as her home.

“We treat him like a person; some people think he’s my brother when I’m talking about him because of his name,” Katie said. “He’s my fat cat– I couldn’t live without him.”